


cherry wine

by reyloisms



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A/B/O Elements, Accidental Plot, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Blood Kink, Dramatic Kylo Ren, Dubious Consent, Emotionally confused Rey, F/M, Human Rey (Star Wars), Kylo saves the day (kinda), Mild Gore, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV First Person, POV Rey (Star Wars), Rey's tricked into taking medicine she doesn't know what's for, Sexy blood drinking, Tired Rey, Vampire Bites, Vampire Kylo Ren, Vampire Turning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:01:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26507878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reyloisms/pseuds/reyloisms
Summary: Vampires came out of hiding and Rey has an unfortunate meeting with one while she works the night shift in the convenience store that definitely doesn't pay enough for the amount of creeps that she has to deal with every night.It's just her luck  that this pesky leech seems to have developed a taste for her blood.BEING REWORKED !!
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 42
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, here's something a bit different I'm working on. I hope you enjoy it 🙈

Vampires came out of hiding a couple of decades ago and, as much as we're used to them living among us, it's still not very common to actually see one or even know someone who has ever seen one. It's not that they're _that_ rare, but they mostly keep to themselves.

They're also incredibly good at blending in, which makes sense since they've hid their existence for centuries. 

That's why I'm surprised when the guy that steps into the convenience store I work at during the nights comes up to me and asks if we sell any packaged blood. I just stand there, looking up at him with a dumbfounded expression because for a couple of minutes I have a mini inner dialogue where I question why he'd need blood. 

And then I realize why. 

"No, we don't," I answer sheepishly, feeling pretty dumb that I didn't connect the dots sooner.

"That's too bad." 

I don't have time to turn to him and say "yeah" because hands grab me and pull me to a hard chest, a small _oof_ comes out of my mouth at the sudden impact but that's quickly forgotten when fangs sink into my neck.

I don't even have time to scream, it all happens so fast. My fists curl up and hit on his chest uselessly, a helpless little sound comes out of my mouth and he just moans as more and more of my blood is leached out of me. It hurts, but it's not a bad type of hurt. 

When he's done I almost stumble to the floor, but his hands steady me on my feet and he smiles a little as if the scene is adorably funny to him. My blood trickles down the sides of his mouth and he licks it away almost obscenely. 

"Thank you for this." He reaches a very cold hand to my cheek and wipes away a single stray tear that's escaped my eye. 

With a red-tinged smile, he turns on his heels and leaves the store and all I can do is gape at his retreating back.

🍷

By the time I get home it's 2:34a.m. and I wonder if the entire exchange with that vampire was something my sleep deprived mind cooked up, but it can't be. I have the puncture marks on my neck to prove it. 

It doesn't hurt now nor when he bit me, if I'm being completely honest with myself. Vampire attack survivors always describe the ordeal as being bloody and violent, the bites are big and leave gory scars, but the two tiny dots on my neck look more like mosquito bites than anything else.

I'm half wondering if they _are_ mosquito bites that my mind simply conjured up a fantasy to go along with them. 

Another characteristic of vampire attack survivors tales that don't match with mine is that they claim the bite hurts like a bitch. Most of them say they passed out from the pain, but when that jerk bit me I felt more surprised than anything else. Maybe a little violated, too. But it wasn't anywhere near as bad as some people make it out to be. I ask myself if they're all lying or if there's something wrong with me. 

My head hurts and I take a pill for it before heading to bed, my wounds are cleaned and dressed and I change into something comfortable for the night. I lay down on my bed and open a YouTube video with ocean sounds to lull me to sleep. I'm almost positive that I've imagined the coldness creeping up my legs before my body plunges into darkness.

🍷

Rose is a chatterbox and a college student like me. We're not on the same career paths, but she's always interested in what I have to say about maths. She says I'm smart, but I'm just logical and a quick thinker. It doesn't make me smart. 

I think _she_ is smart, quoting poetry and giving a different meaning to each word. 

We don't talk a lot, whenever I'm getting to work she's clocking out, but occasionally she stays a little extra time to help restock the aisles. It's what happened today, and she's gladly chatting my ear off when _he_ enters the store. 

If she notices my knees lock up and my eyes bug out, she doesn't say anything. It feels a bit surreal that she's still talking about her date the other night while the man who bit me is standing just a couple of feet away, trying to make himself blend in with the other people in the store when he towers over everyone I've ever met. 

"Rose, can you excuse me for a sec?" 

She looks puzzled, I probably interrupted some long winded retelling of her first date with Finn, but then she nods and waves me away with a smile. 

My legs take me to where he's standing, it feels wrong to be away from him when he's standing right there. Like there's a magnetic field around him and I'm naturally drawn his way. I don't like the feeling at all. 

Once I'm standing before him, I frown. 

"Why're you here?" 

"You taste really good," he tells me. 

"And you're back for more?" I accuse and he has the audacity to shrug.

Suddenly, the idea of being bitten again isn't as disgusting. I feel as if there's two Reys inside of me, one that is thrilled he is back for more and another that is screaming at me to run as fast as I can the other way.

I don't know which one I should listen to. 

There's a backroom where we keep our things and some cleaning products, it's not really a broom closet but it's the closest to it this store has. Some employees use it to hook up when it's late at night and there's not many clients circling around. 

I take him there and shut the door behind us with hopes that no one saw us slipping in here. 

It's dark, but that's why people like it for hookups. There's only my breathing between us, and the fact that I can't even tell there's someone else in the small space with me should scare me, but it excites me instead. 

"Please, don't bite me somewhere I can't hide." 

I hear a positive response being hummed back before his cold fingers touch my neck, very softly. My breathing catches, surprised by the gentleness in his movements today when he'd been so abrupt the other time. 

"I wondered all week why you tasted so good," he says, breath against my neck. "I even tried other sources but none were as sweet as you." 

He applies a kiss over the healed bite wound he gave me on his previous visit. 

"You've ruined me to others. And you're no one." 

My hands have balled up into fists beside my body, I hate that he's not going directly to the point and is stalling. As if playing with his food. 

"Just do it," I say, huffing out a breath. 

And he does. The moment his teeth sink into my flesh I feel my entire world collapse, it doesn't hurt _at all_. It feels good, way too good. Criminally good. It shouldn't be like this. I should be howling with pain, kicking and screaming and pushing him off me. But instead my hand creeps up his chest and winds around his neck, pulling him closer. 

I can feel the blood leaving my body, he drinks it down greedily and holds me by the waist. When I let out a breathy moan he groans and digs his fingers into my skin through the fabric of my shirt, then he abruptly unlatches himself from me and steps away. I lean against the door, feeling dizzy and unbalanced. 

"Thank you," he mumbles and moves me out of the way so he can exit the room. 

I have to take a couple more minutes to collect myself, then I go to the bathroom and splash some water on my face to chase away the sleepness creeping up my bones. I take my hair out of its ponytail and conveniently hide the new bite mark that's right next to the old one, I'll clean it and dress it when I get home. 

For now, back to work. 

🍷

I wake up in an ice cold sweat when it's close to dawn. Shivers run up and down my spine and my teeth chatter as if I'm in the middle of winter and my heater is not working properly. 

It's too early to wake up, but after unsuccessfully trying to get back to sleep I decide to start my day anyway. Pushing the covers away from my body, I make my way to the bathroom where the fluorescent lightbulb hurts my eyes. 

Groaning, I turn the lights off and do my morning routine in the near darkness. Somehow, that doesn't bother me at all. It feels almost natural in a way. 

My limbs feel heavy and whenever I move it's like I'm trying to run underwater, I'm definitely coming down with something but if I'm not on death's threshold there's no reason to miss class. 

I dress in a simple sweatshirt and leggings, pulling on sneakers to go with the look. My hair is down and hiding the two bite marks that appear to have infected even with my careful cleaning and dressing, later I might swing by a drug store to buy some antibiotics and cream for this nastiness on my neck.

The campus library will be open at 7 a.m., until the bus comes and I'm finished with my morning commute it will be opened and I can wait for my 10 a.m. class while doing homework for Linear Algebra I. However, the moment I step out of my building the sun's clarity is almost blinding and my skin immediately itches. I run back inside, watching as red splotches form on my pale skin like burn marks.

_What the hell?_

I climb the stairs back to my apartment and go to the bathroom where I keep all my medicine. There's some cream for burning in there and the effect it has on my skin is almost instantaneous, relief floods my system as I massage the cream over the burns. 

This time, I grab an umbrella before walking out. 

What a weird symptom for a common cold to develop. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more of an exposition chapter, but after this is all reylo I promise ❤

As the day progresses so do the symptoms of this freaky cold. 

When I step into the campus cafeteria to grab lunch my stomach immediately folds into itself, the idea of food nauseating to my sickened body. Nevertheless, I know that my body needs the nutrition so I force down a sandwich and orange juice only for it to come all back only a few minutes later. 

Thankfully, I made it into a toilet in time. 

Cold sweats, sensitivity to the sun and an irritated stomach. This might as well be a stomach bug or something of the sort, I just hope it's not some unheard of disease that has no cure for it. 

That would be unlucky. 

My head starts hurting the minute I leave the cafeteria, my friends all tell me I look sick and I should go home or maybe visit the health center on campus. After a couple of arguments stating that I'm fine, I decide to appease my friends and go to the health center. 

The fluorescent lights hurt my eyes, I squint at the receptionist when she greets me and asks me if I'm all right. She looks worried, maybe even a bit scared? Now, why would she be scared of me? 

I see her reaching for a phone and she speaks to someone on the line, she must speak in a code because I don't understand what she says and then her eyes are back on me and she's got a tentative smile on her face. 

"Why don't you sit over there, honey?" She points to the waiting room where a couple of other people are sitting. 

I nod, following her command silently. 

It's not long before two big, burly men come for me. They ask me to follow them, but I'm afraid of who they might be and what they want with me. One of them grabs my arm, pulling me up onto my feet, while the other grabs the other one and soon I'm being led down a hallway to God knows where by these two men. 

For some reason, it doesn't occur to me that I could scream. My mind is so frazzled from the pain I'm in that all I can do is uselessly kick at the air and try to slip away from their graso, but they hold onto me tightly. 

I'm shown to a room that's so white I believe I've gone blind for a couple of moments when I'm shoved inside it, the lights are too much and it makes my headache even worse. I clutch at my temples, falling to my knees in the middle of the examination room. 

I hear footsteps on the corridor outside, then the door opens and a tiny black woman steps inside. Her glasses are comically big on her face, white hair cropped close to her scalp and age lines cutting deep into the skin around her mouth. 

"Hi," she says, taking a step closer. 

As much as I want to answer her, I feel like there's sandpaper wrapped around my throat and everytime I try to use my voice it rubs against my vocal chords in a painful way. I point to my throat uselessly, trying to convey the message with my eyes and movements. 

"Right, the thirst must be setting in." The woman turns to one of the men who dragged me here and orders him to bring a pack of synthetic blood. "I'll give you a notepad so you can communicate with me, ok?" 

I nod. 

She reaches inside the pocket of her lab coat and retrieves a small notepad, then she asks the man who remained in the room if he has any pens and he takes one out of a hidden pocket in his jacket. Then, she hands both items to me. 

"What's your name, dear?" 

I write down: _Rey_

"Rey…?" 

_Jones._

"Hi, Rey. I'm Dr. Maz Kanata, can you tell me for how long you've been experiencing symptoms of vampirism?" 

I feel a chill slither up my spine, paralyzing my movements. 

_What?_ I write. 

"You've shown some physical signs of vampirism, these marks on your arms," she points to the burn marks covering my wrists and forearms, "are a pretty common symptom in patients that are going through the transitioning process." 

_I don't understand._

"Well, it's not very common for it to happen and in most cases it's an accident. But sometimes humans are bitten and the transitioning process starts on its own, some scientists theorize it may have something to do with a hidden genetic gene that's there because of a spontaneous mutation or simply because the patient is a descendant of vampires." 

The man she told to grab a pack of synth blood comes back. Dr. Kanata tells him to hand it to me, but as he moves to do so I recoil from the thing as if it's a bag full of worms instead. 

"Rey, you need to trust me on this, ok?" Dr. Kanata takes the blood pack and offers it to me once more. I turn my nose up at it, not wanting to even consider the possibility of taking it. 

She sighs, leaving the blood pack next to me in case I change my mind. I know I won't. 

"Have you been bitten recently, Rey?" She goes back to her professional tone, eyes studying my face as if she's looking for something. 

I take the pen and write: _Yes_. 

"Do you know this vampire personally, are they your friend or partner?" 

I wince, thinking about the tall and dark vampire that's thrust me into this mess. God, what a nightmare. 

_No_. My lines are a bit harsh on the N, I almost punctured the paper when I was writing on it. 

"I see, and what about you? Do you know if any of your parents had vampiric blood or were related to vampires?" 

_I didn't meet my parents_ . _Foster system._

Dr. Kanata nods, but she's not done with the questions yet. 

"I suppose you didn't ask this vampire to turn you, correct? He simply drank from you, I'm assuming, without your consent?" 

I nod and she sighs.

"Typical. You can press charges, you know that?" 

_Yes_ , _but I don't even know his name._

"We can find that out, I can take a blood sample and we can figure out if you have the gene that will guarantee your transition or if you're in danger. I can also see which toxins are mixed in your bloodstream and compare their DNA to a matching one in the Federal system." My eyes widen at the amount of technology that would go into that. "All vampires are required to register in the system, giving a sample of their blood and saliva so we can have a bank to draw from when situations like this one happen." 

_But some might slip through the cracks_.

"Possibly, but there aren't many unregistered vampires out there. The benefits vampires gain from being registered and documented are too good to pass, it's not very smart to live under the radar." 

_Maybe the vamp who bit me isn't very smart._

"Well, let's hope that isn't the case. We'll need them here for the final stages of your transition." 

_Why?_ The thought of seeing that man again is not a pleasant one. My mind is already reeling from the possibility of that happening when Dr. Kanata completely shifts my world upside down. 

"You'll need to drink from him to complete the transition," she says. "It's an essential part in the process and if you go through it alone there's a high chance that you might not make it through." 

I stare back at her waiting for the laugh that will mark this as a joke, but it never comes. She is being serious. 

My eyes wander to the blood pack next to me, my pinky finger is almost touching it. I imagine sticking a straw to it and gulping it down, the liquid washing away the dryness in my throat and making me feel better instantly. 

The rational side of my brain is disgusted, begging me not to do it. But the other side of my brain, one that's been lying dormant and only now woke up is snarling at me to get on with it already. 

_I think I'll drink the blood now._

Dr. Kanata smiles, asking one of the men who are still standing like statues by the door to grab me a paper cup. When he comes back and hands it to me, I try to gulp down my own saliva but it grates against my throat and makes my eyes water. 

My hands shake when I pour two fingers of blood into the cup, fighting back the urge to dry heave. I bring the cup to my lips and feel the refrigerated liquid touch my tongue, it goes down my throat easily and before I know it I'm sucking the blood directly from the bag. 

When my brain finally catches up to what I just did, Dr. Kanata is already taking the blood bag from my hands and giving me tissue papers to wipe my hands and mouth clean. 

"What just happened?" I manage to croak out through a slightly less inflamed throat. 

"Your new instincts taking over," the doctor answers, taking her notepad and pen back only to immediately start scribbling stuff on it. "Tell me, when did this bite happen?" 

I shift uncomfortably. "He bit me on two separate occasions." 

"This is new information," Dr. Kanata says. 

"The first time he bit me was maybe, I dunno, a week ago? Then he went back to my place of work, where he first bit me, and did it again yesterday." I fidget with the hem of my sweatshirt, avoiding eye contact with the doctor. 

Somehow this feels like it's my fault. 

"That's plenty of time for a natural transition process to occur, plus yesterday's bite would cause a renewal of his saliva's toxins in your body." She taps the pen against the notepad, a pensive expression on her face. "Why did he return, though? You said it yourself you don't know this vampire." 

I feel my cheeks reddening. "He might have mentioned something about my blood tasting too good, something like that." 

Dr. Kanata writes that down, humming absentmindedly. 

"Am I - Do I have to see him again?" 

That gives pause to the writing. She looks up from her notes to me, a sympathetic expression on her face. I startle when I feel her hand closing around my own, but it's not a bad feeling having someone care. 

"I understand your reservations, Rey. Rest assured, I'll not make you meet him again. But I do need his blood to keep you safe, it's essential that we maintain you under observation until then." 

"Ok," I say with a nod. "I can understand that." 

🍷

After the blood tests and about one hour of me sitting on my butt waiting for the results, Dr. Kanata opens the door to the room I've been relocated to with a small friendly smile. 

"Hey there, Rey." She waves the test results in her hand. "Let's have a chat." 

My symptoms have considerably diminished since the blood I drank, which is still a wild concept to me, but I'm beginning to develop new ones in its place. Like the ache in my gums and the distinctive _awareness_ of blood coursing through Dr. Kanata's veins. 

Before she left the room, she'd told me I'd experience other changes and gave me a small red pill to drink, "For everyone's safety," she'd said. 

Now, as she seats herself in the solitary chair by the hospital bed I wonder what was in that pill. Maybe some type of drug to slow the transition process or to make the symptoms more bearable? 

"Is it bad?" I ask, nervously picking at my nails ever since she left me alone in this strange room with immobile bodyguards on each side of the door. 

"No," she says, "nothing like that." 

"What, then?" 

"Your blood test results showed me that your DNA is one quarter vampire, maybe you had a grandparent who was a vampire and that inevitably passed down to you. That's why you're experiencing this transitioning process right now," she says, easing me into the news. "The bite's toxins must have activated the sleeping gene and that explains why you're here."

I look down at my hands, frowning. This is not how I imagined finding out about my biological family, but here it is. Vampires, huh? Guess it _would_ be something fucked up like that. 

"There's no way to stop it?" 

Dr. Kanata shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Rey. We managed to contact the vampire who bit you, he's...well, he's on his way here to provide us with blood." 

Something cold and wet lodges itself behind my throat, making me unable to use my voice. 

"I just wanted to let you know," she says. 

I want to thank her, but my tongue refuses to cooperate. Instead, I nod silently and watch her leave the room. 

This is a mess. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think she took the news pretty well, huh? But it can't be good to bottle up your emotions like that...👀


	3. Chapter 3

Thunder wakes me up from a peaceful sleep, which is surprising because I haven't slept well since school started again. The woes of a university student's life. 

A stream of silvery moonlight enters the room through the open blinds, bathing everything in a soft way that's too contrasting with the reality of my staying here. 

To my left, there's an end table with a lamp on it which I make use of. A glass full of water rests there, condensation fogging its sides and collecting in a small pool beneath the glass. I question why they gave me water when I gobbled up blood before, but take it anyways to see if the thirst in my throat will be quenched. 

It isn't. 

I sigh, looking out the window. The blinds are down and there's not much to see outside, just the sleeping college campus. For a moment I wonder if my friends are worried about me, but we're not even that close to begin with. Maybe they're relieved they won't have to deal with me anymore. 

Everything will change once I complete my transition, which is still a strange concept to wrap my head around. I keep waiting for the joke's punchline, or for the camera crew to jump out from behind a wall and yell "gotcha!" pointing at me. But this is not a joke nor a prank, the very real symptoms I've experienced and the blood drinking...maybe I'm hallucinating, that could be it. 

I might have hallucinated the entire thing. Being bitten the first time, then the second and now these strange symptoms. Maybe I'm just sick and my body keeps coming up with surreal scenarios to hide the truth from me. 

Before I spiral into this half-cooked theory, there's a knock on my door. For some reason, my heartbeat picks up and I feel cold gripping the base of my spine.

"Excuse me," an unfamiliar voice says, opening the door a smidge. "Dr. Kanata asked me to look after you, I'm nurse Jenkins by the way, is there anything you'd want?" 

My heart goes back to a normal speed. "Hi." 

"I can bring some food or maybe...synth blood? She told me about your condition." 

My cheeks redden. I don't know why being on the verge of becoming a vampire is so embarrassing, but it's the principle of it. I wouldn't have been going through this if that man hadn't...if I hadn't been bitten. There would be no uncomfortable questions or any worries about how I should keep living my life from now on. 

I need to get used to this change, sooner or later. 

"I could use some, er, food." 

The nurse nods. "Ok, I'll be right back." 

I smile at her retreating figure, the door closing on her way out. 

"I wouldn't eat anything, if I were you." 

_ That voice _ . Shivers immediately run up my spine, I turn to look at the moving shadow in the corner of the room where the door had just been hiding while it was opened. 

"How did you get in here?" 

He cocks his head to the side. "You do realize vampires have supernatural speed, right? Unseen by human eyes?" 

"But I'm - I'm not really -" 

"Yeah, yeah," he says, waving a dismissive hand in the air. He takes a step closer to the bed and my body locks up, cold sweat collecting on my brow. "I heard all about that." 

"You did this." 

"Not intentionally." He takes a seat at the edge of the bed, hands resting between his slightly open thighs. "I would never create a vampire, that's too much work." 

"But there's always a risk, I have vampiric genes or something -" 

" _ Most  _ humans don't. But you're not entirely human, are you?" 

"Why are you here?" I decide to change topics, feeling a bit on the spot with his dark eyes pinned on me. 

"A Dr. Kanata called me." He picks at an invisible speck of dust on his dress pants, I can't help but notice he's way more well dressed than he was when we first... _ met _ . "Imagine how surprised I was at the news, apparently some halfling was in the process of turning because of my bite." 

I stay silent, but apparently he isn't interested in holding a conversation with two participant parties because he just keeps speaking. 

"Vampires who sire other vampires, they become like a babysitter. You have to teach the newborn how to adapt to their new life, then you have to constantly keep an eye on them so they won't break any vampiric laws. It's a lot of work, you see?" He turns to look at me, but it's clearly a rhetorical question. "And I've lived alone for centuries, I'm not used to company." 

"What does that mean?" I manage to whisper. 

He sighs. "I'll have to kill you." 

For a moment there's silence. A heavy one, where I don't know if he's being serious or playing a prank on me. It's not funny. But we don't know each other, I don't think he even knows my name so why would he be joking around? I look into his eyes and I  _ see  _ the intent there. 

"W-what?" 

"I'm not interested in having a scion, I've gone my entire existence without one and I have no plans to start now." His hands are on my cheeks, I didn't even see him move. My eyes are starting to water, his words and meaning finally sinking in. "Don't cry, I hate to see pretty girls crying." 

"S-so maybe don't k-kill me?" I sob. 

He tsks. "I'm really sorry, Rey, but it has to be done." 

I shut my eyes, not wanting to see his face when he does it. I wonder how he will choose my fate, will it be a snap of the neck or drinking me dry? A deep, repressed part of my brain wants to feel his fangs on my skin again, but I quickly brush that aside. 

If I'm going to die, I want to die with dignity. 

My sobs are loud in the otherwise quiet room, his cold hands are still on my cheeks and I wonder what's taking him so long to just  _ do it _ . 

I open my eyes. He's staring at me, something soft in his gaze. 

"What are you, Rey?" 

He wipes a tear away, strangely gentle with his movements. 

"I'm nothing. A nobody." 

The corner of his lips lift in a smirk. "I doubt that." 

His hands leave my face, the loss of contact is at the same time relieving and agonizing. I'm still a bit taken aback by the contrasting emotions when the nurse comes back with my food, she walks in with a tray and sets it on my lap with a friendly smile. 

"Ring if you need anything else, ok?" She says. I look at the vampire sitting at the foot of my bed, how is she not seeing him  _ right there _ ? I nod and she makes her exit with swishing hips. 

"Are you invisible?" 

He chuckles. "No, I'm not." 

"She didn't see you there." 

"People see what they want to see," he says with a shrug. "I only created the suggestion in her mind, she was the one who took it as an undeniable truth." 

"But you didn't even speak to her," I retort. Vampiric suggestions are a thing everyone knows about, it's pretty frowned upon in our society and vampires can get into a lot of trouble if they're caught using it, but apparently this man doesn't care about consequences. 

I'm living proof of that. 

"I've had many centuries to perfect the craft of my abilities." 

"How many centuries?" I ask, curious. 

"Too many." 

"You don't answer a lot of questions, do you?" 

He shrugs. "You ask too many, patience is not one of my virtues." 

"Will you still kill me?" 

I watch as he gets up, his long legs walking towards the door. He opens the door, about to get out, but before he does so he turns to me and says: "Even if I want to, I can't." 

Then, he leaves.

I look at the tray of food in my bed. Nausea grips my stomach and forces me to abandon the tray untouched on the end table to my left. 

What just happened?

  
  


🍷

Dr. Kanata hands me another one of those red pills, I look at it suspiciously and ask her what's their purpose. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, before responding to my question. 

"They keep your symptoms at bay," she tells me. "It also prevents you from getting bloodlust, which would be very dangerous for our medical staff." 

I nod, popping the pill into my mouth. "Ok." 

She smiles, tapping my shoulder in a friendly way. 

"You're doing good, I'll be back later with your sire's blood and everything will be over then." 

"My sire...as in the man who bit me?" 

The doctor nods. "His name is Kylo Ren. I'm surprised he was the one who matched up with the toxins in your blood, he's a bit famous in his world." 

"How do you know that?" 

"Well, I work directly with vampire scientists who are also developing the field of study in vampiric lore. People talk." 

"On a scale of one to ten," I say in a humorous tone, "how much in trouble am I?" 

Dr. Kanata smiles, taking the glass of water I just drank from my hand. "Have a good day, Rey." 

It doesn't miss my notice that she didn't answer my question, joke or not. 

🍷

I must have fallen asleep sometime after taking my red pill because when my eyes open it's dark outside. 

Strange. I shouldn't have slept for so long, but maybe I'm just tired. There's a pressure in my bladder and I go to the bathroom connected to the room to relieve myself, when I go to wash my hands the mirror above the sink shows me my wearied face. 

Big dark circles under my eyes, a sickly pallor to my skin and bloodshot eyes. I look like someone chewed me up and spit me out, then stomped over just for fun. 

With a sigh, I grip the sides of the sink. 

"You'll feel better once you feed properly." A familiar voice speaks, making me jump. 

I bring a hand to my chest at the same time I turn around, meeting his dark eyes. "What the hell?" 

"I couldn't help but notice that Dr. Kanata is giving you these." He holds up a red pill, it looks so small between his thumb and forefinger. "How many have you taken?" 

My brow furrows, I have no idea why he thinks it's okay to invade my personal space like this and act like we have a friendly relationship. He bit me, he threw me into this mess and now he's being a creepy stalker. 

"Get out of here!" I scream, throwing the bathroom door open and pointing to the dim-lit room beyond. 

"Answer me, Rey." 

I look back at the pill, trying to think back to when she first gave me one. "I dunno, two or three? Why do you care?" 

He sighs, then moves to the sink and drops the pill down the drain. "If she asks, you took it." 

"Why did you do that?" 

"Those things aren't good for you," he says, shrugging. "No wonder it's taking you forever to transition, they're giving you fucking suppressant pills." 

"You keep saying stuff I don't understand," I say, annoyed.

"Those pills suppress your vampiric impulses. Let's just say it's not a very appreciated product in our midst."

I look back at the sink. "She said it would be safer for everyone involved if I took the pills." 

"Of course she did." 

"What if you're lying to me?" I turn defying eyes on him, crossing my arms in front of my chest. 

A sigh. "Why would I lie?" 

"You tried to kill me." 

That makes him pause. He turns, going back into the room and pacing in front of the bed with hands shoved deep inside his pockets. 

"I'm not going to apologize for following my instincts, Rey. You'll have to learn to deal with this part of me if we're to be linked for eternity." I follow him to the room, sitting on the bed and watching him pace the floor. "But I can't kill you, for some reason...when I tried, my body refused to do it." 

"Guilt," I supply. 

"No." He smiles without humor. "That's not a feeling I'm familiar with for quite some time." 

"So you can't kill me, what does that tell me?" 

"It's my interest to keep you alive," he informs me. "I had to go and register you with the Council, they were more than a little surprised that I finally turned someone." Kylo smirks. "I think they're under the impression you're my lover." 

"Gross."

He chuckles. "You're officially linked to me, my scion. I can't hurt you, by vampiric law." 

"I didn't peg you as one to follow the rules." 

"I have to," he says with a shrug. "It's part of the job." 

"What's this job?" 

"It's not really a job," he corrects himself, then turns to look out the window. "But I have a part to play and that means I have rules to follow." 

"You're being awfully cryptic," I tell him. 

"I'm sorry." 

"Just tell me what you mean." 

"You'll see," he says. "I have a lot to show you when we're home." 

That makes me frown. "Home?" 

"Yes, you'll be living with me." 

I throw my head back and laugh. "You're funny." 

"I'm serious." And he  _ looks  _ serious, pouty lips set in a thin line and eyes boring into mine with an intensity that's a bit hard to deal with. 

"I can't move in with you, we barely know each other!" 

"That's of little consequence, we'll be bound by blood and it's the law. You'll need to live with me for the next ten years while you adapt to your new reality." 

"I don't care about some stupid vampire law!" 

He narrows his eyes at me. "Careful, Rey, you're not a common human anymore." 

That, more than anything else he's said hits me hard. Because it's the truth, it's what I've been trying to push out of my mind every time it encroaches my thoughts. My future is uncertain, I knew it would be, vampire laws are different than human laws, they live a different life. 

I will be expected to learn their rules now. Play their game. 

The notion gives me a headache. It also makes me want to cry, because everything I knew and fought for in this miserable life is going to be taken away from me because some asshole vampire couldn't keep his fangs to himself. 

He must sense my inner monologue because soon he is there, and even if I hate him a little there's no denying the peace that floods my entire body when he puts one hand on my cheek. 

"We can talk more later," he tells me in a low, controlled voice. "Right now, my priority is taking you home. No more Dr. Kanata. No more pills, ok?" 

A tear escapes my eye. I hate that I've cried more than once in front of this man. "How can I trust you?" 

He shakes his head. "No more hurting," he says. "I promise." 

And for some inexplicable reason, I believe him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🙃 why is kylo being difficult? he's so dramatic.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> So, you may have noticed I upped the chapter count...yes, that happened. I'm sure I'll need a little more time to explain a certain things and develop a little more this strange relationship between Rey and Kylo. 
> 
> This chapter has taken a bit longer because real life and university exist (unfortunately), sorry about that! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this ((:

"Hey! Where are you taking her?" A voice calls from behind us. Kylo's hand which had been resting around my shoulders drifts down to the small of my back as he pulls me closer to him. 

He turns, a glaringly false smile on his face. "Dr. Kanata, how are you?" 

"Get your hands off her,  _ Kylo Ren. _ " 

"My hands have every right to be where they are, doctor." 

I blush, trying to hide the incriminating color of my cheeks behind a curtain of hair. Dr. Kanata's attention turns to me, her eyes (framed by large tortoise shell glasses) are friendly and carry a fondness that makes me feel warm inside. 

"Child, do you want me to call security?" 

Kylo snorts. "Need I remind you that your human laws have no weight with me? Rey is more vampire than human now, she's not your problem anymore." The words  _ back off  _ weren't said, but are clearly implicitly stated in the tone of voice he's used. 

"She's not completed her transition yet," the doctor says, hands on her hips. 

"I prefer to do the process myself, if you don't mind," Kylo retorts, pulling me just a smidge back from Dr. Kanata. "And don't think I didn't smell the suppressants in her blood, doctor, that was an extremely stupid move on your part." 

I watch as Dr. Kanata's face pales, she looks from Kylo to me with wide eyes. "It was for her own protection -" 

"Cut the bullshit." 

"It's our right as humans to use suppressants on dangerous individuals," she practically hisses through clenched teeth. 

That makes me recoil, hiding myself behind Kylo. Dr. Kanata notices this, soon her friendly eyes have gone cold and I can't feel the warmth in her presence anymore. 

"You don't want to make me angry, Dr. Kanata. I've been letting you fly under the radar for some time, but you hurt one of my own and I will destroy everything you love most in this life." 

And with that, Kylo gently pulls on my arm and leads me out of the health center with him. His threat hangs heavily in the space between us. Only a couple of words and he managed to make it clear that he had enough power to do whatever pleased him, including ruining the doctor's life. 

I don't look back to see her face, her betrayal still cutting deep in my chest. 

He leads me outside where the cool autumn air nips my skin, I revel in the freshness of the scent after being surrounded by the smell of a hospital for almost two entire days. The car waiting for us is even more sleek and beautiful than the one I saw him in before, this time there's no driver to take us and Kylo takes the position behind the wheel. 

"What happened back there?" I ask after we've been riding in silence for a while, my hands fidgeting with the hem of my sweatshirt. 

"Dr. Kanata was planning on using you as a lab rat for her own research," he says, gripping the steering wheel a little bit harder than necessary. "I didn't realize you were under her care at first, but then I smelled the suppressants in your blood and I simply knew." 

"Why are suppressants so bad?" 

Kylo glances at me momentarily, then back to the road ahead. "Just so you know, we use suppressants on vampire criminals." He brings a hand to his hair, running long fingers through the dark tresses. "It's a way to keep them mollified, weak and vulnerable. Easier to control." 

I feel nausea rocking my stomach. "And she was giving it to me?" 

"Yes, you're not the first vampire in transition she's done this with." Kylo practically snarls. "She has a history, many of our own have denounced her but she holds too much power within the academic community and many still see vampires as inhumane creatures who deserve to be treated like trash."

"I'm sorry about that." 

"I'll need to have a chat with the Council," Kylo tells me, his entire body is locked in a tense posture. "I believe we've allowed Dr. Kanata to get away with too much already, she's getting overly confident." 

"But can your laws do anything?" 

A smirk touches his lips. "No, but we do have the ability to threaten her." 

I stare at him, horrified. 

"I never said we played fair." 

"What even is her research?" 

"The early stages of transition, who can be transitioned and in which conditions it happens," Kylo offers. "It's good stuff, but her methods aren't the best." 

"I understand, that's too bad." 

"Maybe we should remind her that we're not pets to be poked and prodded at with needles." His tone is dark when he speaks. 

"She was kind to me." 

"No," he corrects me. "She was interested in something you could give her, don't mistake that for kindness." 

_ She was kinder than you,  _ I want to say. 

"You need to complete your transition soon," he says, pulling into the Old City's streets where historical buildings are situated. "We'll see that happens tonight." 

"Dr. Kanata mentioned something about me drinking your blood?" 

"Yes, that's correct." 

"I don't want to drink your blood." 

Kylo throws me a sideway glance, pursing his lips. "You'll do as your instincts tell you to do." 

I turn on my seat to properly glare at his profile. "I know myself," I tell him. "I won't drink from you." 

He nods, the corner of his lips lifting in an amused smirk. "We'll see." 

🍷

From the car he drives and the clothes he dresses in, I knew to expect Kylo Ren's house to be equally grandiose. But I didn't expect it to be a small palace. 

We drove many miles in silence, not even a radio was turned on to lessen the tension between us in the car, and when we finally reached our destination I pressed my face to the window like a child with bright eyes from seeing the place I'd be living in for the unforeseeable future. 

"Do you like it?" Kylo asks, noticing my glee. 

I quickly school my features back into a tight-lipped, unamused scowl. "It's cool." 

He smirks. "Just cool?" 

I nod, turning my nose at him and the building he calls a house but it's more like a museum. We step out of the car and someone appears out of the shadows to drive it away, probably to a hidden garage or something. Kylo puts his hand on the small of my back and guides me up the front steps of his house into the foyer, where two big twin staircases curl upward to a second floor. 

All around us there's wealth and elegance, the floor is polished marble and the curtains are plum velvet, there are beautifully crafted paintings and sculptures bedecking the hallways and rich rugs under my feet. It's all a bit surreal, that so much wealth exists and I've been dragged right to the middle of it. 

He pushes a pair of double doors open and I see a light blue canopied bed in the middle of the room, one of the walls is occupied by a richly manufactured armoire with handpainted flowers on its doors and a bookshelf made of the same type of light wood sits right beside it. A dressing table is located in the wall opposite that one, with lots of small bottles and cosmetics organized over it, and a fluffy circular rug sits right in the middle of the space between the bed and another door that must lead to a connecting bathroom. 

"This is your room," Kylo says, standing by the door while I step inside and do a little twirl to take in everything that's inside the room. 

"This is too much." Part of me is delighted by this room and this entire house, to be honest. However, I cannot forget that Kylo is not my friend or someone I can trust. He's bitten me without my consent twice, tried to kill me and for all I know is lying to me even now. 

Dr. Kanata had been nice to me too, but look at what happened. I can't allow myself to trust people, they only disappoint me in the end. That's a lesson I should've learned by now. 

"Nothing's too much for my scion." 

I turn around, meeting his gaze with my own. "Why are you doing this?" 

He cocks his head to one side. "Doing what?" 

"Being nice." 

Kylo's eyebrows knit together. "If offering you a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head is your idea of someone being nice, I wonder how people have been treating you in this life." 

His words struck deep because...he's not wrong. I've never had someone care for me, not the way adults are supposed to care for their child. Everyone I've known has either cared for me out of a sense of obligation or done a very poor job at it. Maybe that's why I'm always so shocked when someone is treating me well, because I'm not actually used to it. 

Kylo is right before me in a heartbeat, cold fingers lifting my chin up. "You will want for nothing." 

"You don't know what I want," I snap back, wrenching my chin away from his grasp. 

"Then tell me." 

"I want to go back to my dorm, finish my degree and get a job like I was supposed to do when you came into my life and turned it upside down!" I yell, grabbing a pillow from the bed and throwing it at him. 

To no one's surprise, he manages to catch it before it hits his face. 

"You can still go to school and get a job if you want to, I'm not stopping you from doing that." 

I stare at him, trying to figure out the truth in his statement. It's so hard to pick apart his words and look for a different meaning because I don't know him that much, which is a daunting truth since I'll be stuck with him for a while. 

That is, if I don't try to get away. Which I could. 

"Good," I say, averting my eyes unless he sees the plan forming inside my mind. "I want to be alone now." 

He nods, turning on his heels and moving toward the door. Before he goes, he glances behind and says: "Welcome home, Rey." 

I almost throw another pillow at him. This will never be home. 

🍷

I wake up in the middle of the night with an incredibly parched throat. My tongue feels heavy in my mouth and it hurts to gulp down saliva, it feels like the worst sore throat in the world. 

For a moment, I'm disoriented and trying to figure out my whereabouts, but then I remember Kylo and his stupidly big house then everything comes back. 

And for some reason, I can  _ sense  _ him. Not very much, but there's a distinct dark presence close by that makes my senses perk up in alertness. Inexplicably, though, I'm not afraid of him. In fact, my feet bring me to the door and out into the hallway where I can freely follow the itch that's leading me somewhere. 

I'm not really that surprised when I push open a closed door and find a beautifully decorated and fully stocked library, sitting on an armchair by the big arched windows is Kylo with a heavy looking tome in his lap. He looks up when I enter, legs crossed and hand resting under his clean shaven chin. 

"Good evening, Rey." 

I cannot speak, only follow my feet to where they want to be. Which is closer to him. 

"I see you're not feeling very well," he says, closing his book and putting it to the side. "Come here." 

Like there's a string tying me to him, I go willingly. When I'm close enough to touch, his hand reaches out and holds mine, his skin doesn't feel as cold now. 

"Tell me what's wrong," he says in a low, velvety tone. 

I don't want to tell him, my life has been thrown into disarray because of this man and he never really apologized for it. He's not sorry for biting me or dragging me into this mess, he's selfish and arrogant and definitely not someone I should trust. But, for some reason, my body is pliant under his touch and I curl up in his lap while looking into his warm, brown eyes. 

Never before have I noticed how pretty they are. They have an entrancing effect on me, soon my face is way closer than necessary to his and I can feel his breath over my cheeks. His hands encircle my waist, keeping me in place over his strong thighs. 

"What are you doing to me?" I whisper, brow furrowed but not at all inclined to leave his arms. 

He chuckles. "I could ask you the same thing, sweetheart." 

"Don't call me that," I say, shaking my head. Controversially, my arms go around his neck and bring him even closer to me. 

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not your sweetheart." 

Kylo tsks. "You're so new to this," he says, pushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "I can see you don't understand what's happening to you." 

"There you go speaking in riddles again." 

"I can't help it." He smiles, and that's enough to make my mind go fuzzy with a foreign emotion. 

"I'm thirsty," I confess, touching the bridge of his nose with my fingertips and trailing the elegant lines of his strong features. 

He takes my hand in his, brings it to his mouth and presses a kiss there. "You need a teacher," he says, looking into my eyes. "Let me help you." 

"Just make it stop," I say, clutching my throat that's now become impossibly raspy. The thirst rips down my esophagus and claws at my stomach, it's like anything I've ever felt before. 

It feels like death. 

"As you wish." Kylo smiles and before I can process what's happening, his fangs are exposed and he sinks them into his wrist. I watch in perplexed silence as he rips his skin open, ruby like blood gushing out. 

I lick my lips, eyes focused on that wrist. When I look back at his face, he has a serene expression on and I wonder if he doesn't feel any pain whatsoever. Kylo gently grips the back of my head and offers me his wrist, it takes me only a moment to hold onto his offered arm and put my mouth over the open wound. 

The blood hits my tongue and it's like sweet ambrosia, my eyes roll back into my head as I take generous gulps, I can feel my thirst slowly starting to quench but my nails only dig deeper into the skin of his arm. I'm conscious that if anyone tries to take this away from me, I will rip them apart. 

A tingling sensation begins in my gums, I don't pay it much attention until I  _ feel  _ my canines elongating. I roll my tongue over them, feeling the sharpness of what can only be fangs. I finally let go of Kylo's arm, his hand had been in my hair the whole time, caressing and encouraging, I wonder if I hurt him or weakened him in any way. 

My worry must show in my eyes, because he coos softly and wipes what can only be remnants of blood from the corner of my mouth. He's smiling, so bright that it almost doesn't feel like it's him but another man completely. 

"Beautiful," he says, pressing his thumb over my upper lip and pulling it slightly away so he can see my brand new fangs. "Such a pretty, little vampiress." 

His blood has made me sluggish and satiated, I feel as if I can sleep for days. Kylo carries me back to my bedroom, I'm vaguely aware of being in his arms and holding onto him like a baby koala all the way back to my new bed. When he settles me down on it, my stupid brain screams at me to reach out and so I do. 

Wrist in my hand, the one I haven't drank from, he looks back at me with a patient smile. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Stay," I whisper. 

I'm not conscious for much longer after that, being taken by a deep slumber that feels more like death finally coming to claim my soul. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooOoo what's next?

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, kudos and comments are very much appreciated! ❤


End file.
